Making Memories

I know that it’ll never really be perfect, because a room that is used will never be pristine, but what i do mean is that I still have a few things in boxes (I SHALL empty these reaaaaallllly soon) and there are also things lurking in places that I no longer remember. Eeek! SO frustrating! I really need to make sure I label the storage boxes better.

Although its not perfect, I can still say with my hand on my heart that I LOVE my craft room.

A litte space. A haven. Somewhere that is MINE! An escape pod. I can paint it, decorate it, mould it to be what ever i want it to be! yippeeeee! Creative freedom is bliss!

Before Christmas we took a trip to a craft store on the other side of London, and I picked up some Making Memories 8″ chipboard letters. I had never seen these before, but wanted to buy a million of them! Unfortunately, there were only a few left as they were in the bargain bucket, but I was thrilled to find the last ‘L’.

BING!! light bulb! I knew that this was going to make its way onto my craft room wall.

I found them this weekend when I was pulling my glue gun out of a cardboard box (oh my goodness, it took me ages to find it), and about 10 minutes later, with the help of some Black soot distress ink, my chipboard pieces were black, and became another part of my craft room that i just love!

yes, yes…i know! Babies on the brain! But seriously, i really cant help it…it must be hormones or something. Or perhaps its the ‘nesting’ phase that peeople keep talking about!

Today I have another project to share which is a perfect little baby gift. Zoe and Chris blessed their family with another little angel back in November and I was dying to make a little something for him. Finally my paper and embellishment stash made it out of a cardboard box, and I was able to play for a while.

I’ve used a mixture of embellishments including flowers, brads, buttons, ribbon, grommits, felt, bisous chipboard, and of course my favourite metal charm from Mei Flower that is a love heart etched with ‘made with love’. I love ‘em! AND you can get 10 for £1 or 50 for £3 on their online shop – check ‘em out at www.meiflower.co.uk. The cute little gingham bow is from them too!

This is a really fun project, and is perfect for using up some scraps. I used some circle punches to create six little bubbles and I also got to use one of my most recent purchases which I have been really excited about. This cool little punch from EK success punches out little dots to make a circle shape- i think its a really cool way to draw the eye to something.

Thanks for stopping by.

I also had my baby shower yesterday, so i’ll be sharing some photos on here as soon as I get a chance to load them off my camera. xox

This is definitely one of those weekends where I wish I could close my eyes and transport myself to another location, and it isn’t hard to guess where I would want to be…California! But it’s not the beaches i’m dreaming of, or the sunshine, or the wealth of culture, but rather the aisles and aisles of crafty goodness that will be filling the Los Angeles Conference Centre this weekend for CHA Winter 2011. The Craft and Hobby Association are once again hosting its winter conference and trade show over the next few days, from 29th Jan – 1st Feb, where our best loved manufacturers will be showcasing their products to the Industry. With over 25 Business seminars, and 50 craft technique workshops, it’s no wonder I am less than satisfied with the realistic alternative of spending this dull, rainy British weekend at home. But nevertheless, thanks to the wonderful invention of the internet, we can all enjoy sneak peeks into the world of CHA as companies throughout the industry have been offering little glimpses into their new product releases over the last few weeks.

And where can you find these sneak peeks?. ..almost everywhere: Facebook, twitter, manufacturers websites, but I have found that the best place for a comprehensive list is Scrapbookdate.com. If you haven’t already checked out ScrapbookUpdate.com, an informative news website run by the talented newshound, Nancy Nally, then you really should jump over to check out the latest in our industry news.

So as I can’t be in California, strolling up and down the aisles of the convention, I thought that I would instead share a few links with you showcasing some of the new releases that have caught my eye. This is the pre-warning so you can close your eyes if you don’t want your bank balance to be damaged because I am sure that you will want these just as much as I do.

These look so delicious I could eat them. I love the fact that there are different styles and shapes too. I reckon these would look great on layouts, cards and lots of other projects too.

Family Dynamics Collection from Bella Blvd

Check out Bella Blvd‘s website for more peeks at their awesome new collections, but the one that catches my attention the most is most definitely this piece of patter paper called ‘Game Night’ from the Family Dynamics collection.

Although this photo doesn’t give us a detailed view of the whole collection, it certainly fills me with intrigue. The colours look fresh and exciting – perfect for Springtime and maybe even some Easter layouts. I can’t wait until the whole collection is revealed. Plus..I have a embedded love for the versatility of double sided papers!

Oh My! These really do take embellishments to another level. Be sure to check out the different ways that the design team have used these felt, dimensional embellies on their many projects by visiting here. I particularly love the blue star, the elephant and the Eiffel Tower…oh, and the birdie!

Maya Road have done it again. Another fantastic little product that fills me full of nostalgia and inspiration. Look how tiny these little wooden spools are, and won’t they look darling wrapped with a little twine!

I have a thing about alphabet stickers, seriously, I really can’t get enough of them. The thought of getting 8 complete sets all on one sheet is making me feel quite giddy to be honest. The font is classical and versatile and what a great selection of colours.

Now that I have completed my collection of Distress Inks, I am thrilled that Ranger and Tim have released another fantastic product from for their inky collection. Distress stains can be used on paper, embellishments, wood, stickers, and basically any porous material. You can even spritz them with water to create a mottled effect.

Hiya everyone, Only a few more days until it’s December!! eeeeeek! I’m so excited. I’m sure many of you are familiar with Ali Edward‘s annual Christmas feature called December Daily, where she makes a mini book which documents the last month of the year and captures memories of this magical time. Last year I decided […]